In many cases, it is not only the cost of a drug that prohibits a treatment from becoming widely accessible but also the cost of packaging. Many companies strive to reduce the cost of proven life-saving treatments so that such treatments can be more readily accessible.
Reducing the cost of traditional packaging is one example of a way to lower the cost of such treatments. Reducing the cost of traditional packaging of pre-filled syringes has been an area of focus for some time. The problem with traditional packaging of pre-filled syringes is two-fold. The first is the cost of the primary glass drug container. The second is the cost of filling the glass container. Manufacturing and filling, are by their very nature, two distinct processes. The first step is to form the container and then one must pack it up and ship it. Then the container must be unpacked at the container filling facility and then filled.
An additional problem that plagues conventional syringes is that conventional syringes can be refilled and reused. Re-using syringes contributes to the transmission of blood borne diseases like HIV. Thus, there is a need for a low-cost syringe that cannot be refilled or reused.